Episode 118

Awakening Practices from PRACTICAL WORK ON SELF, "Search for Dr. Livingstone", Part Two

In this episode, THE THREE-HEADED MAN discusses their experiences practicing a self-observation exercise centered on the phrase "I am not this."

Jazzy describes how the mantra helped neutralize performance anxiety during a musical session, leading to a more stable emotional state. The conversation explores the difficulty of remembering spiritual homework and the tendency to treat such tasks as mere checkboxes rather than sincere internal efforts. They critique the pitfall of mimicking the external symptoms of enlightenment, such as intentional staring, rather than achieving the actual state. Ultimately, the group reflects on the power of accumulation, likening the slow progress of spiritual practice to gathering single logs of wood over time.

THE THREE-HEADED MAN emphasizes that consistent, small efforts are more sustainable and meaningful than chasing immediate, dramatic insights.

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The Three-Headed Man
Talking To Ourselves For Over 25 Years

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About your host

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Fred M Schill

I like to do. I like to make things. And, I like telling stories. I tell stories to myself and to others.

First, a short biography, which is, of course, is a story. I was born in Cleveland, played sports, and attended university. Later, after a few years in the radio business, I returned to university to study education and literature.

With a teaching certificate in my file folder, I began working in high schools, first as a strike-breaking scab substitute teacher in Cleveland's far suburbs, and then in Chicago, mostly in private high schools.

Cleveland and Chicago. My two main towns, and I escaped them both. Presently, I live in a tiny, isolated, mountain village in Spain. I am reluctant to write the name of the town because I don't like tourists. When the tourists arrive, they look at me as if I am an animal in a zoo.